title: Introduction of a novel parechovirus RT-PCR clinical test in a regional medical center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although data documenting the severity and frequency of human parechovirus (HPeV) infections have been published, detection of HPeV is not routinely performed in most clinical virology laboratories.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe diagnostic yield, epidemiology and clinical characteristics of patients infected with HPeV during the first year using a new HPeV reverse transcription (RT)-PCR.
  
  
  METHODS
  We introduced an HPeV RT-PCR for the routine testing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood samples submitted to our clinical laboratory for detection of human enteroviruses (HEV). Prospective testing of samples with retrospective analysis of medical charts was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 499 clinical samples received between May, 2009 and May, 2010, 9.6% (46 patients) had HEV detected and 3.4% (15 patients) had HPeV detected. All patients infected by HPeV were <3 months old, hospitalized between June and October 2009, and all typed viruses were HPeV3. Clinical characteristics of HPeV and HEV infected infants were similar. However, patients infected with HPeV were more likely to have a normal leukocyte count in their CSF (p<0.001). One HPeV3-infected infant developed encephalitis and another developed hepatitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our institution, the HPeV RT-PCR was useful to diagnose a novel pathogen in infants with sepsis-like disease.
authors.affiliation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. North, PO Box 19024, D3-100, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, United States. renaudchristian@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuypers
authors.forename: Elle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ficken
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cent
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corey
authors.forename: Janet A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Englund
mesh_terms: D003429:Cross Reactions; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D058889:Molecular Typing / Q000379:methods; D030061:Parechovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral